Rasetsu Kurozuka
Rasetsu Kurozuka(黒塚羅刹, Lit. "Devilman") was a contestant in multiple iterations of the G.O.H. tournament, hailing from nagoya, japan, and was a member of team nagoya in the competition, as well as their strongest member and secret weapon. For his incredible power and berserk fury while in the midst of battle, rasetsu has earned himself the title of Demon-Eyes Rasetsu(鬼目羅刹, Oni me Rasetsu). Reputed as an unsurpassed prodigy with boundless underlying talent and an absurd growth rate to match, his mastery over several forms of highly advanced martial arts has allowed him to be named the god of high school once in the past, having already won the tournament. He has earned himself a repute of infamy in both positive and negative regard throughout the world of martial arts, though is generally received as one of the most despicable beings in history. He is the son born of an affair which occured between the japanese gods, Ame-no-Kagaseo, god of the primordial void, and Izanami-no-Mikoto, goddess of creation and death. Subsequently, his true identity is that of the immortal, sacred and most high god of the existing japanese divinity hierarchies and pantheons, known only as Amenominakansuhi, said to be the mightiest god in the shinto pantheons and hierarchy. Rasetsu is the adoptive son of Magaki Ogura, whom is responsible for teaching him a series of martial arts forms and methods which primarily consist of shotokan-ryu karate, though rasetsu has also demonstrated an extremely high level of skill and competence in numerous applications of aiki, jujutsu, and judo, amongst other forms of martial arts and fighting styles that are native to his home country of japan. Appearance Rasetsu is a distinctive youth who's age is suspended in an eternal state of peak physical condition, forever locked in the prime of his youth on behalf of his status as a being of divine immortality. Even in spite of his status as one of the deadliest and most powerful gods within the shinto hierarchy, rasetsu appears as a fairly nondescript gent. This hower, seems to equate solely to his state of mind, as evident by the fact his physical appearance changed rather noticeably upon first regaining his memories of the fact that his true identity is that of the dragon god ryujin. Even so, rasetsu seems to maintain some form of control over his physical appearance, appearing no different from that of any normal human being. Depending on which "form" he is in at any given point in time, rasetsu's physical appearance can change and alter greatly, to the point that he may appear as drastically different to that of his base form. In terms of general physical appearance, rasetsu is a tall, handsome young adult with fairy long, black hair which, depending on the continuity or saga in question, can vary in length, though generally maintains the same messy, wild, and untamed stylization. His body, as evident of his status as both a god and dedication to the path of martial arts, is of an inhumanly perfect muscular definition regarded as the edge of absolute perfection, all of his muscles having been shaped, developed, and tempered to the point where they seem to have formed a state of dermal armor upon his person, though, not being excessively developed to the point where they are too large for his body, something which tends to weigh martial artists down rather than benefit them. In addition, rasetsu, while by no means a giant, has ben depicted as taller than most characters in the series, standing head and shoulders over most full grown adults. His face is shown to be that of a typical, unsullied and pristine bishonen, but yet, having numerous markings of definition which are proof of his experience and wisdom as a martial arts master and a man whom has seen countless different battles. Rasetsu's former best friend, the late Takeshi Shinoda jokingly comments that rasetsu has a face that "begs to be punched", something which rasetsu himself states that he is in unequivocal agreement with. Rasetsu, as proof of his enormous honor and dedication to the etiquette of martial arts, has a personal preference of dressing in his training uniform prior to engaging in any form of combat. As a gift from his late mentor, Magaki Ogura, rasetsu wears a fairly basic fighting uniform which consists of a pair of dark sapphire blue shorts, a pair of toeless tabi of the same color, and a pair of dark auburn/brown gloves on his fists, giving him an appearance which is somewhat similar to that of a muay thai practitioner. However, one of the most contributing and pivotal aspects of rasetsu's pride in wearing his martial arts uniform is the fact he showcases his signature black belt earned personally from his mentor, worn around his waist at all times, something which he expresses the most pride in. This uniform allows him great space and freedom of movement while in combat, though, rasetsu's reluctance to engage in any form of combat without wearing it often prompts his challengers and opponents to accuse him of being a coward, something which couldn't be further away from the truth. Rasetsu and his fight uniform, givent he fact that he is dedicated to wearing it in any and all fights, has seen a countless different array of opponents and has been with rasetsu throughout the course of the entire series. Because of his status as a man with such a respect for his masters memory and the tradition of fighting, Shoko Mataza jokingly refers to rasetsu as "old-fashioned" in this regard, which is merely another thing which rasetsu unambiguously has to agree with, admittedly. Rasetsu is also shown to have little to no sense of fashion, something which he honestly doesn't care for. He willingly states that the most comfortable in any clothing that he has felt is in his training/fighting uniform, thus dressing hims as plainly and as nondescript as possible when it comes to everyday clothing. In terms of expressions, Rasetsu rarely exhibits any emotion on his face, almost appearing half asleep much of the time in fashion greatly similar to daewi-han in this regard. His melancholic expression is seldom ever replaced, save for when in the midst of combat, where rasetsu seems to exhibit a smile, especially in dangerous situations against deadly opponents, which is said to be runoff of his underlying demon-eyes persona poking through to the surface every now and then. Personality Depending on the situation at hand, as well as the form he is in, much like his appearance, rasetsu's personality, behavior, and demeanor is shown to alter and change drastically. While in his base form, he exhibits a cool, calm, peaceful, and pleasant behavior. He is shown to be extremely dedicated and thankful to the world of martial arts, believing himself to be truly lucky that he was able to meet a man such as his master who was capable of teaching him about the way and philosophical concepts of martial arts. Rasetsu is shown to be rather unsociable aside from minor exchanges between himself and others, something which is attributed to his enormous underlying sense of loss and grief, and the reluctance to ever trust that nothing which occurred in his past shall ever repeat. Rasetsu maintains a fierce dedication and resolve to martial arts, and even with all of his talent and glaringly obvious superiority, isn't arrogant and self serving in any way at all, instead being extremely benevolent, wise, and clearheaded. Supernatural wisdom and insight are shown to be a staple of rasetsu's character, as it is absurdly close to impossible when one attempts to lie to or deceive him, as shown by his enormous aptitude as a mere child. Regarded by many as a teacher of teachers, rasetsu had a habit of leading and guiding adults, having the reasoning abilities of a world leader or extremely high class political figure at the mere age of 5. His benevolence and wisdom seems to inspire and consistently beguil those around him, both allies and enemies alike. Shoko Mataza comments that rasetsu holds a unique presence about him which forces on to want to cheer for and put their faith in him, and even follow him or acknowledge him as a superior. His talents which expand over all fields have also allowed him to obtain an innate and almost unrivaled understanding of the human psyche, particularly emotions and reactions, which has contributed to the enormous self control and hold he has over his own emotions. Rasetsu is depicted as having an extremely high, almost supernatural level of resolve, bravery, and most of all, determination, his willpower and guts being one of the most infamous aspects about his character. Thanks to this, he can, and will continue fighting and challenging opponents that are many leagues ahead of him. It is this level of ethereal determination and presence which has prompted him to instill feelings of self doubt and trepidation even into the most ruthless and blackhearted of opponents. His bravery in this regard as only served to have been bolstered and solidified throughout the course of his life, having a tendency to willingly throw himself in harms way, and in some cases certain death, risking life and limb in the process if it means he can protect the lives of the innocent or his comrades, the latter of which he holds an immense sense of value and worth in. Originally, distant, callous, and dispondant, rasetsu has since learned to open up his emotions and trust in others once again, believing that friendship, bonds, and comrades are if anything, even more important than obtaining strength and skill within the realm of martial arts. He firmly believes a mans true power and strength surfaces when the things he holds closest to his heart are put in danger, and subsequently, rasetsu, even by his own standards, has shown to be at his mentally strongest when the welfare of his comrades and friends are hanging in the balance. Rasetsu Kurozuka, despite taking on the appearance of a mere highschooler or young adult, has a starkly different, yet similar personality. He shares the love for training which all martial artists seem to share, even after learning of his true status as the shinto god ryujin, an uncontested god of combat and martial arts, he still intentionally limits himself and his powers so as to facedown some form of challenge and contest to his strength. He is rarely ever "serious", though he can take fights and opponents on who are particularly powerful and mighty with intuition and insight alone. After realizing his power as ryujin, he still maintains his child-like demeanor and goes to lengths in order to keep his behavior as wholesome and natural as possible, maintaining the guise of a human in this regard, enjoying the memories and times he has garnered through his life as a mere human. However, he is also far different in the respect he is no longer as ignorant, innocent and pure anymore, his mind constantly being on the look out for enemies and threats which would dare unbalance peace within his world, demonstrating the habits of a leader in cool and calculating fashions. He often plays mind games with the smartest beings in the known realms as a testament to his own intelligence and sharpness of mind, or engage in diplomatic relations with the stronger species, such as the gods and hwagwa monkeys, who were not wiped out, and prevent them from enslaving other weaker races and contrues just for profit, once again showing his leadership and political aptitude which lays within his vast number of different talents and ability to adapt to different situations. Even in spite of all his exceedingly enormous strength which he continues to build and amass even to this date, Rasetsu is shown to be completely and utterly incorruptible, to the point where he has been jokingly referred to by takeshi as "the perfect example of a generic shonen protagonist". Power which has completely corrupted and demonized previously benevolent and righteous characterized is shown completely incapable of tempting rasetsu. It is said that rasetsu himself is far from truly pure or noble, as shown by the countless childish acts and villainous deeds he has a habit of performing, but rather, his ability to remain on the aside of light and justice is attributed to his stubborn refusal to be anything else, as he has also shown a blatant ignorance to living life in the way of a truly "goody-goody" way. Instead, rasetsu continues to do what he wishes, when he wishes, how and why he wishes, and by his own word, things like saving lives and protecting the innocent just happen to be a part of his agenda as an individual. Rasetsu is not without his own hefty serving of pride and self righteousness as a warrior, and is in fact perhaps one of the single most stubborn and arrogant individuals in the world of martial arts, towards a height which is almost inspiring. Rasetsu has always taken an extraordinary pleasure in fighting down and defeating those whom he acknowledges as strong even from a young age. Contrary to his more idle behavior, rasetsu is about the farthest possible thing from a coward as what one can possible conceive of, even going so far so as to invite other opponents or grant his enemies time to heal, power up, or achieve their true strength, stating that "it won't matter; i'm the strongest", being convinced that no amount of powering up, training, or strength will be enough to suffice in defeating him. Relationships Allies Enemies History Early Life Equipment Ryugu Palace Ryugu palace is the sacred and divine underwater area which served as Rasetsu's secret hideout and place of harmony when he lived his life as ryujin. Within the vast, underwater imperial palace itself, lays what would most likely be described as the highest realm of heaven and dreams for hardcore fighters and those dedicated to making themselves stronger, which is only natural, given the fact that ryujin is the supreme god of all martial arts and fighting as a whole. It has many different training areas, such as a gravity room which alters the intesity of gravity on a users body while also being profoundly durable and capable of taking on punishment and large training field decorated with countless different godlike equipment and technologically advanced devices such as treadmills and various sets of weights and agility-testing devices, as well as an illusionary land filled with a near infinite expanse of "evil" clones of rasetsu, albeit far weaker by comparison to the original, (all of which are continually being maintained and controlled by the mainframe of ryugu palace's protective artificial intelligence) to conquer. Within the training realm of ryugi palace contains near constant fighting and endless drama, for anything can be done within this area without restriction, degradation, or stipulation. Within the room itself, fighting is rampant, training sessions are the norm, and deaths are virtually non-existant, in spite of occuring at a rate which exceeds that of what most fully accomplished gods are capable of witnessing. The number of things the practitioner or martial arts disciple in question can undergo, perform, or pursue within is virtually inexhaustible, and this keeps villains, heroes, and the occasional visitor appeased, as injuries are all but gone at the end of every match and training system. One unique trait about the Ryugu Palace is that it has created special dimensions for different training areas and its own use, greatly conserving space for other activities, such as the production of more clones, the primary example of this being the patented omega dimension. Omega Dimension The Omega Dimension as a unique hyper-dimension seperated from the flow of all space and time, thus rendering it normally inaccessable by any being aside from rasetsu himself. The hyper dimension which is omega is a perpetually, infinitely expanding, truly endless dimension of indestructible nothingness given form, being the single most powerful and trustworthy dimensions at the disposal of all those whom enter ryugu palace in orer to engage in training. This dimension was specifically created by the resident sage & magic user of the kageryubu, shoko mataza, in order to increase Rasetsu's burgeoning energies and constantly increasing statistics such as physicla strength, speed, durability, and anything and everything else related to his power at a simply grueling and overwhelmingly fast pace. Within this dimension time is dilated to the point where, as mentioned above, this omniverse-sized alternate dimension is out of reach of space and time alltogether, theretically allowing rasetsu to increase his powers and abilities infinitely beyond anything and everything else he had previously shown in the blink of an eye, at least, to those whom reside outside of the omega dimension This result in the boosts provided to the original being far more ridiculous than normal. The Omega Dimension is also an outlet for members of rasetsu's allies and vast army to also train in either under his guidance or of their own accord in order to achieve a boost of strength equivalent to rasetsu's own upon staying within this hyperdimension, as the environment is extremely harsh, having, at its lowest output, a pull equivalent to a hypergiant stars gravity, and a supernova’s worth of heat being constantly put out, which makes training within profoundly difficult for anyone beneath the level of a god of the heavenly realm, but highly rewarding nonetheless. The Gravity and heat being put out can be changed any time for the user in question as well, increasing/decreasing intensities as per the users desire As for the clones of Rasetsu, they are able to survive primarily because of their bodies extreme durability, hence the fact that the highest recorded level of heat and gravity within the omega dimension belongs to rasetsu's training sessions within. Skills Divine Powers Rasetsu holds within him the divine powers of Amenominakanushi(天御中主, Lit. "Heavenly Ancestral God of The Originating Heart of The Universe"), the all-father in traditional japanese shinto. Also revered underneath the title Hitorigami(ひとり神, Lit. "Solitary God"), this being is the primordial kami from which all other hierarchy's and pantheons of deities sprang fourth from, and is reputed as the one true god who's power, wisdom, and might dwarfs that of all others not only within, but outside of the traditional shinto sect of mythology. The jade emperor for example, who is the current lord of the heavenly realm, stated that Amenominakanushi was something which he "truly feared", as a testament to the power within rasetsu. Similar to Jin Mo-Ri, rasetsu's divinity and its subsequent powers and techniques within are accessed by taking on a subtle yet noticeable transformation. Superior, more advanced transformations which serve as successor forms to the initial transformation are capable of being accessed by rasetsu in order to obtain more devastating techniques and more substantial boosts in his power and statistics. Shin-Minakanushi(真天御中主, Lit. "The True Heavenly Ancestral God") this is rasetsu's single most powerful state of transformation, and his ultimate and most perfect form. After entering this form, rasetsu can advanced no further, now having reached a state of penultimate perfection and truly supreme power which far outshines that of the destructive capacity and powers of any of the forms to come before it. While in this form, rasetsu has truly transcended all previous notions of mortality and strength, becoming a truly almighty and uncontested entity that serves as the embodiment of the very essence of the all-father of primordial oneness, thus granting rasetsu to powers, techniques, and strength of an untold caliber and standard. While in this form, rasetsu takes on his single most drastic alteration in terms of physical appearance yet, losing all semblance of something which could be called a human save for the same primary basic bodyframe of having an arms, legs, head, all attatched to a torso. The ability to reach this state of penultimate transformation is proof of the mastery which rasetsu has over his own powers, shin-minakanushi being a state of existence which essentially encompasses all previous forms, powers, martial arts, and abilities and embodies them at their most perfect expression. The form is characterized by rasetsu's body generating an extremely bright, thick and dense amount of ethereal, transcendant energy which is primarily white and an extremely pale blue/lavender in color. The energy condenses and solidifies to form a unique, extremely long and wide-sleeved, ceremonial haori-like cloak on rasetsu's body, decorated by a cacophony of traditional symbols of east asian divinity, most commonly expressed by the numerous magatama running along the front, collar, and bases of the sleeves of the cloak. Rasetsu's skin meanwhile lightens to the same shade of pure white as the ethereal haori itself, his form becoming decorated in an intricate network of archaic lines, giving him a distinctively oni-like appearance due to the markings on his face, resembling a traditional decorative hannya mask, hence the pair of exceptionally horns which grow out of the sides of his head. Rasetsu's forhead is shown to split open, revealing a unique third eye, while his fingernails elongate and harden into claw-like blades. If anything, his hair only increases in volume, maintaining its white texture, become even more wild, untamed, and frenzied, elongating to the point it now drags on the ground behind him, granting him an extremely oni-like appearance. Quotes Trivia Category:Character Category:Male Category:Good Alignment Category:Martial Artist